Propelling device



J; KOENIG.

PROPELLING DEVICE.

APPLICATIGN FIL'ED JUNE 17, 1919.

Enema Feb; 22, 1921;

3 SHEETSSHEET l- INVENTOR Juseph Koeni By I (M0 01/ ATTORNEYS m n Y W J. KOENIG.

PROPELLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17, 1919.

Patented Feb. 22,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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APPLIC Patented Feb. 22, 1921. SHEETS-SHEET 3-.

WITNESS:

' A TTORNEYS JOSEPH KOENIG, OF TWO RIVERS, WISCONSIN.

PROPELLING DEVICE.

Specification of Zetters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Application filed June 17, 1919. Serial No. 304,890.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I J OSEPH KOENIG, a citizen of the United tates, and resident of Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in means for propelling vehicles, and particularly aeroplanes by power generated by the combustion of a carbureted fuel, and it is primarily the object of my invention to provide a propelling device wherein the explosive impact of the fuel gas upon ignition is exerted directly against the atmosphere thus immediately utilizing such force to its fullest extent and permitting the use of an exceedingly light structure in contra-distinction to the internal combustion engines heretofore employed for propulsion and embodying a considerable weight of the engines and their accessories.

A more specific object resides in the pro- 'vision of an arrangement for timing the various parts of the apparatus, wherein the necessary power is procured by means receiving drive impulse from impact with the air upon travel of the vehicle.

A still further object resides in the provision of means whereby the velbcity of the explosive gas entrains air into the propelling column of gas to procure maximum propulsion upon engagement of the propelling column with the air exteriorly of the apparatus.

A still further object is to provide a propelling apparatus embodying the foregoing advantages which is exceedingly simple and compact in structure and which has a stream line general contour facilitating travel of the vehicle by offering minimumair resistance.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, my invention resides in'the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an aeroplane embodying my improved means of propulsion, a portion of the aeroplane being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the for-' ward portion of the aeroplane.

Fig. 3 is a front end view of the explosion cylinders, the spider frame thereof being partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view through one of the cylinders on a plane indicated by the line H of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings 10 designates the main body or fuselage of the vehicle, to which is aflixed the plane 11 and which carries at its forward portion the landing wheels 12 and at its rear portion the usual landing shoe 13 and the vertical and horizontal rudders 14 and 15. The forward portion of the body casing forms a chamber A in which is mounted the charge mixing and igniting mechanisms of my propelling device and the front end portion of the casing is open to the atmosphere and preferably taperingly reduced.

An annular series of combustion chambers 16 are disposed within the chamber A and are elongated longitudinally of the chamber, such cylinders being connected together at their intermediate portions by a spider frame 17 and being closed at their forward ends by head 1 plates which carry mixing chambers 19 having reduced communication with the combustion cylinder chambers. The rear portions of the cylinders 16 are taperingly reduced in substantially bottleneck form and the reduced rear ends of the cylinders extend into a series of longitudinal ducts 20 which have their forward ends flared to merge into the chamber A and thus form rearward branches of said chamber, said ducts being slightly inclined together, in accordance with the rearward taper of the fuselage and having their ends terminating just forwardly of the rudder structure and slightly flared as shown in Fig. 1, tomerge into a common open rear chamber portion 20*.

Charges of heated air are introduced into each mixing chamber 19 through an annular passageway formed by a casing 21 surrounding the forward end of each cylinder 16, the forward end of said casing being closed and secured tothe wall of the casing 19. The rearward end of the casing 21 extendsinto an annular pocket formed by a radial flange 22 on the intermediate portion of the cylinder 16, said flange having its outer portion forwardly directed whereby to trap air rushing through the chamber and force said air through the annular passageway formed by the casing 21 and into the mixing chamber 19 through a port 23 controlled by a valve having its stem 24 eX- tended inward radially with respect to the set of cylinders. Movement of each valve stem 24 also procures injunction of fuel fluid into the mixing chamber through the medium of a link connection 25 between the valve stem and the valve 26 of a fuel supply duct 27 which is adapted to extend to any suitable source of fuel supply. The mixing chambers 19 are connected by the forward spider frame 28.

The timing mechanism for the valve stems 24 includes a shaft 29 journaled in the front and rear spider frames 28 and 22 and carrying a valve cam 30 engageable with the inner headed ends of the stems 24c. The forward spider frame also carries a shaft 31, concentric with the shaft 29 and on which ismounted radial blades 32 adapted to be driven by impact of air rushing through the chamber upon normal travel of the vehicle.

The shaft 31 is connected with the shaft 29 by a reducing train of gears 33 to procure the proper timing operation. Each cylinder is provided adjacent its rear open end with a longitudinal series of spark plugs which may be selectively used, and these spark plugs may be operated by a timer member 35 on the rear end of the shaft 29, no specific timer structure being shown since any preferably conventional arrangement may be employed.

To insure proper admixture of fuel and air in the mixing chambers 19, fans 36 are mounted in said chambers, having their shafts extending through the front ends of the chamber and each of the shafts carries a pulley 37 around which is trained a belt 38 trained also about a pulley 39 on the drive shaft 31 whereby to drive said fans 36 at high speed. Initial operation of the timing and fan mechanism in starting the vehicle. is procured by a motor 40, or other source of stored power, a drive shaft of which mounts a pulley :41 around which is trained a belt 42 extending to a pulley 43 on the shaft 3]. drive connection of this pulley with the motor shaft being controlled by a clutch mechanism including a sleeve extending outwardly of the main casing 10 and connected with a link 45 extending rearwardly to the pilots position.

A simple and compact structure is thus provided which is operable to utilize the direct explosive impact of combustion gas against the air, thus eliminating the pistons, gearing, propeller and associated struc tures heretofore found necessary in the propulsion of vehicles by utilizing the explosive force of fuel gas.

Summarizing the operation of the device, as the vehicle travels, air rushes in the front of the main casing by reason of normal velocity of the vehicle and passes through the chamber A and about the combustion cylinder 16, a certain portion of said air being trapped by the pocket flanges 22 and directed reversely forward through the annular chambers formed by the casing 21, such air being thus heated by contact with the forward end portions of the cylinder 16, and serving in turn to provide the necessary cooling medium therefor, this heated air forming the air charge of the combustion mixtures. The major portion of the air pass ing through the chamber A isentrained by the velocity of the combustion gas rushing from the cylinders 16 and forms with said combustion gas, propelling columns of relatively large cross sectional area each engaging the air at the rear of the fuselage.

While I have shown and describedone embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications of structure may be employed within the scope of the appended claims without departing in any manner from the spirit of my invention.

What is claimed is 1. A propelling mechanism for vehicles comprising an elongated passageway open at both ends, an elongated receptacle disposed in the intermediate portion of the passageway and spaced from the walls thereof, said receptacle being'open at one end and closed at its other end, means for supplylng liquid fuel at the closed end of the receptacle, means for trapping a portion of the air in said passageway and carbureting said fuel and means for igniting said carbureted mixture in the receptacle.

2. A propelling device for vehicles comprising a casing open at one end and having a series of branch passageways extending from its other end, a group of receptacles in the casing each of said receptacles having its end closed adjacent the open end of the casing and having its other end branched to discharge into one of the branches of the casing. a shaft having its aXiS disposed centrally of the group of receptacles, a series of blades on said shaft, valve controlled inlet ports at the closed end portions of the cylinder and means connected with said shaft for operating said ports, the blades of said shaft receiving rotating impulses from impact with air upon travel of the vehicle.

3. A propelling device for vehicles comprising a group of cylinders having adjacent end portions open, valve controlled inlet ports at the other end portions of the cylinders. means for operating said ports comprising a shaft and blades on said shaft receiving rotating impulse from impact with air upon travel of the vehicle.

4. A propelling device for vehicles comprising a group of cylinders having adjacent end portions open, valve controlled inlet ports at the other end portions of .the cylinders, means for operating said ports comprising a shaft and blades on said shaft receiving rotating impulses from the impact air, and a starting and driving mechanism having clutch connection with said shaft.

5. A propelling device for vehicles comprising an elongated receptacle open at one end, a mixing chamber at-the other end of the receptacle, an annular air trapping pocket surrounding the receptacle, a passageway extending from said pocket to the mixing chamber, means for supplying fuel liquid to the mixing chamber and means for igniting fuel liquid in said receptacle.

6. In an aeroplane structure, the combination of a fuselage body having hollow longitudinal chambers formed in its front and rear portions and provided with longitudinal branches'connecting said chambers, a group of longitudinal receptacles disposed longitudinally in the forward chamber of the fuselage and having their rear ends branched to discharge into said passageways of the fuselage, said receptacles being closed at their forward end, means for introducing fuel liquid in said receptacles and means for igniting fuel liquid in said receptacles.

7. A propelling device for vehicles comprising a group of cylinders open at adjacent ends, open end casings surroundin the open end portions of the cylinders an extending rearwardly therefrom, means for introducing combustion charges into said cylinders, and means for exploding said charges in the cylinders whereby the explosive gases rushing from the cylinders entrains air into said open end casings.

8. A propelling device for vehicles comprising a group of cylinders open at adjacent ends, open end casings surrounding the open end portions of the cylindersand extending rearwardlv therefrom, means for introducing combustion charges into said cylinders, and means for exploding said charges in the cylinder whereby the explosive gases rushing from the cylinders entrains air into said open end casings, said open end casings being rearwardly convergent and merging at their rear ends into a single large casing open to the atmosphere at its rear ends In testimony that I claim the fore oing I have hereunto set my hand at Two ivers, in the county of ManitoWoc and State of Wisconsin.

JOSEPH KOENIG. 

